46 Million ways that sharing makes the world go round

At a yoga class yesterday, I piloted a plush new rubber mat. Adelaide, the young teacher with choppy hair and leg warmers, asked me where I got my sky blue mat and I told her my company had launched it. Her response was priceless. “You’re from the Grommet? I love the Grommet. I saw Cuppow there, those exercise dresses with matching arm warmers (Nuu-Muu), and the Bare Conductive cards. They have the coolest stuff. I told my brother about Grommet and he did not ‘get’ the product launched that day, but I told him to stick with it.”

This was music to my ears, and it would have had the same effect on the Makers whose Grommet Adelaide shared.

Me, in my own Nuu-Muu dress, with my Grommet co-founder Joanne, sweating in the hills south of San Francisco

Sometimes I wonder if people understand–or even believe me–when I tell them that sharing a Grommet is just as powerful as buying it. Possibly more, because a purchase is generally a private act. Sharing is, well, sharing. What you share says something about what you support, value, and find interesting.

When we share a product that piques our interest or a story that speaks to our own personal values, it immediately reaches our inner circles of family, friends, and colleagues –but the cumulative power of our “shares” reaches far and wide. In fact, because of YOUR social sharing last year, Grommet stories and products reached 46 Million people. Proof that small ripples can make big waves.

And the importance goes far beyond helping Makers and new products increase their reach; the people in our lives can (and do) benefit when we share innovative products made by good companies.

In 2014, a significant % of purchases made on The Grommet stemmed from our collective social sharing—via email, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. What we shared, our networks found value in. Let’s do even better in 2015.

Think of the last Grommet you discovered. Maybe it wasn’t something you needed or wanted, but could it have been interesting to someone you know? There are a lot of “things” on the internet to buy but there aren’t a lot of them with as much value, heart, and uniqueness as what we’re launching every day. Cuppow launched on The Grommet and instantly began to spread like wildfire because it was a problem solver that appealed to so many. On Pinterest alone, it reached over 15 million people.

You’re discovering new products with us every day–help others discover them too. They will be glad you did. And our Makers will continue to grow their businesses, creating a more human scale world fueled by connection, heart and passion. It’s a win all around.